THE SMUGGLER. 



* ' That's unfortunate, indeed 1" said Mr. Radford, thoughtfully. 

 " One must take a little ill luck with plenty of good luck," 

 observed Harding; "and it's fortunate enough for you that 

 these wild fellows will carry through this mad scheme, when 

 tfa<ey know they are found out before they start. Besides, 

 I'm not sure that it is not best to wait till the night after, 

 or, may be, the night after that. Then the news will have 

 spread that the goods have been either run and hid away, or 

 seized by the officers. In either case, if you manage well, 

 they will think that it is your venture ; and the fellows on the 

 coast will be off their guard, especially Mowle, who's the 

 sharpest of them all." 



" Oh,! I'll go down to-morrow and talk to Mowle myself," 

 replied Mr. Radford. "It will be well worth my while to give 

 him ti hundred guineas to wink a bit." 



"Don't tiy it, don't try it!" exclaimed Harding, quickly. 

 " It will do no good, and a great deal of harm. In the first 

 place, you can do nothing with Mowle. He never took a penny 

 in his iife." 



"Oh! every man has his price," rejoined Mr. Radford, 

 wfeose opinion of human nature, as the reader may have per- 

 ceived, was not particularly high. "It's only because he wants 

 to be bid up to. Mr. Mowle thinks himself above five or ten 

 pounds ; but the chink of a hundred guineas is a very pleasant 

 sound." 



" He's as honest a fellow as ever lived," answered Harding, 

 " and I tell you plainly, Mr. Radford, that if you offered him 

 ten times the sum, he wouldn't take it. You would only show 

 him that this venture is not your grand one, without doing 

 yourself the least good. He's a fair, open enemy, and lets 

 every one know that, as long as he's a riding-officer here, he 

 will do all he can against us." 



" Then he must be knocked on the head," said Mr. Rad- 

 ford, in a calm and deliberate tone ; " and it shall be done, 

 too, if he meddles with my affairs." 



" It will not be I who do it," replied Harding, " unless we 

 come hand to hand together. Then, every man must take 

 care of himself; but I should be very sorry, notwithstanding; 

 for he's a straightforward, bold fellow, as brave as a lion, and 

 with a good heart into the bargain. I wonder such an honest 

 man ever went into such a rascally service." 



